Hilton’s Snapchat Test and More Digital Marketing News This Week

Most travel brands have so far shied away from Snapchat for all the right reasons. Marketing efforts on the platform have a fuzzy return on investment and can be difficult to scale.

— Jeremy Kressmann

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This week, we’re taking a look at Snapchat.

While the social platform has gained millions of loyal users in the U.S., it remains largely uncharted territory for most travel marketers. Hilton Hotels is one travel brand that’s decided to enter the mix, debuting a new branded profile on the service to showcase behind-the-scenes content from a recent branded concert series. Will the effort help the brand shed its buttoned-up image as it pivots to appeal to more young travelers?

Hilton Promotes Loyalty Offerings to Millennials on SnapchatHilton Hotels is ramping up efforts to court more millennial travelers. Earlier this year, the company launched its new Tru brand, a new hotel chain with room features and pricing designed for the millennial audience. Now the brand is moving onto millennial-friendly social media platform Snapchat, where the chain will offer followers behind-the-scenes content from its Hilton Rewards Program concert series. Read more

Las Vegas Turns to Pandora to Appeal to EDM-loving TravelersLas Vegas has found success in recent years by increasingly catering not just to gamblers but to electronic dance music (EDM) fans, using events like music festivals and DJ residencies to draw in nightlife-loving travelers. This musical approach is now extending to the city’s marketing, with the Las Vegas CVB recently raking in an estimated $110 million in incremental tourism revenues from a campaign with music streaming service Pandora. Read more

Princess Tests “Tinder-Like” Mobile Interface To Help Travelers Pick CrusesThe mobile dating app Tinder has attained widespread popularity not only among those looking for love, but also for savvy marketers looking to simplify mobile interfaces. Princess Cruises is taking Tinder’s lead by incorporating a “swipe-to-like” interface into its new “Places to Sea” destination recommendation tool, which lets users indicate their interest in different attractions using the swipe gesture. Read more

More Hotels Offering Guest Incentives for Direct BookingThe war of words between executives from the leading online travel agencies and hotels has been heated in recent weeks, as the two sides argue over marketing efforts by hotel chains to convince travelers to book their rooms direct. On top of recent advertising campaigns encouraging such behavior, a number of hotels are now offering guests perks like food and beverage credits and free Wi-Fi for booking on their .com websites. Read more

Brand USA Taps Code and Theory as New Digital Agency of RecordAmerican tourism organization Brand USA is in the midst of a major redesign of its website, including a new visual look and a revamped user experience. The organization has tapped New York-based digital shop Code and Theory, which also handled website redesign efforts for Visit California, to handle the new website duties. Read more

Oregon Stays Humble With New Tourism Slogan, Marketing CampaignThe state of Oregon is using a deliberately modest approach with its new marketing campaign to try and attract more visitors. The new campaign, designed by Portland-based Wieden + Kennedy, uses the simple tagline “We like it here. You might too,” to embody the humble, laid-back philosophy of Oregon residents. The agency hopes that by deliberately underselling the state’s attractions it can appeal to jaded travelers skeptical of the usually bombastic tourism slogans used by other destinations. Read more

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